Everywhere

by soulofawinchester

Driving down a lonely highway, just the two of them. Classic tunes lazily drift out the windows of the Impala, and the lyrics take these two down a path whose destination is both new and unexpected.

Everywhere

Imagine watching the sunset with Dean.

Author: soulofawinchester

Character(s): Dean Winchester, Kate Spurling

Type: One Shot

POV: First Person, Kate

Word Count: 3,896

Warnings: None.

Inspiration:

post/80912964119/imagine-watching-the-sunset-with-dean-one-shot

A/N: I'm not sure if you need a Spotify account to listen to that list, so here's the titles of the songs: "Dreams", "Landslide", "Everywhere", "Little Lies", "Songbird", and "You Make Loving Fun". If Spotify doesn't like you, YouTube them if you wanna listen. :) Hope you like it!

"I know the rules Dean, but seriously, we've listened to this tape like eight times in a row. Can't I pick one?" My voice sounded as sweet and pleading as I could make it, giving Dean that puppy-dog look I'd learned from Sam as I leaned over the bench seat toward him. He had one hand on the wheel, the other hanging in his lap as his fingers tapped against his thigh in time with the Led Zeppelin song that was playing. He glanced over at me, cocking an eyebrow and giving me his famous smirk. I pouted a little more and blinked away at him, trying to give him a hopeful smile that would convince him.

Dean heaved out a sarcastically exasperated sigh. "Oh fine, pick a tape," he said, rolling his eyes as they settled back on the long stretch of Nevada highway we were currently on. I grinned at him and dug around in the backseat before producing the box he kept all his mix tapes in. I searched for a good minute or two before pulling one out that was perfect.

"Fleetwood Mac? How did that even get in that box?" he asked, reaching for the tape as I was ejecting the other. I held it out of his reach and he gave me a hard, teasing look.

"The driver said I could pick the music, so can it mister," I smiled, warily bringing the tape back down and letting it slide into its new home. I carefully put back the Zeppelin tape and replaced the box in the backseat. I searched on the case of the tape, trying to find the track I wanted. Once I'd found it I settled back into my seat, knees up on the dashboard.

I hummed along to the lyrics until I got to the chorus. "Thunder only happens when it's rainin'... Players only love you when they're playin'..." I sang softly, elbow propping my face up as I stared out the window. "Say, women, they will come and they will go... When the rain washes you clean, you'll know..."

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Dean glance over at me. Come to think of it, he'd never heard me sing before. Granted he'd heard my sarcastic, mock-singing when I wanted to poke fun at a song, but he'd never heard me take a song seriously before. I wouldn't say I was amazing at it, but I'd had a fair amount of practice, on the road with my sister, hunting before I ran into the boys again. It left a lot of time for thinking and singing to the open road, especially when both Chloe and I hadn't had much to talk about.

"I keep my visions to myself, it's only me. Who wants to wrap around your dreams and... have you any dreams you'd like to sell? Dreams of loneliness... like a heartbeat, drives you mad. In the stillness of remembering, what you had... and what you lost..." I stared out the window, watching the scenery flick past as we rocketed down the highway. I was never more content than when I was in this car, with Dean, driving down some lonely highway, just letting the music take us where ever it wanted. I sighed, smiling to myself a little. I'd always wanted to tell him that, but I just never had the guts. I knew he thought of me like a sister, and I was good at lying to myself about how I felt for him. It was always just a passing phase, never anything permanent. But that phase had lasted through so many years now, not to mention the rekindling it had gone through when he'd found me again.

The song ended and continued onto the next. My heart throbbed a little when I realized what it was. It reminded me of so many things, most of them not good memories. I looked at the switch that would allow me to change the song, but I didn't have the heart to reach for it. I was going to have to face my memories sooner or later, and I guess that was now. I knew I was okay now, driving along with Dean, it was a different time. But just hearing this song made me feel small again. Like I was still sixteen, finding Dean on my porch, giving me that trademark grin of his. I hadn't seen him in three years, and then there he was again, knocking the wind out of me. And just as quickly as he'd shown up, he was gone. Five states over, back to his dad and brother. I hadn't even had a clue why he had to go again. Not then anyway.

Maybe that was the reason I'd never tried to talk to him again after that. I didn't want him ripping my heart out of my chest for the third time.

"I took my love and took it down. I climbed a mountain and I turned around. And I saw my reflection, in the snow-covered hills. Till the landslide brought me down." I sang, my voice a murmur. I could feel the emotion, the sadness and betrayal welling up in my chest like a tsunami. "Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changing ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?" I took a breath and continued on, determined to make it through this song. I wasn't about to embarrass myself by crying over this, especially with him sitting right there. "Well, I've been afraid of changing, 'cause I've built my life around you. But time makes you bolder, even children get older. And I'm getting older too..."

I felt my breath hitch in my chest and I let the song finish without me accompanying it. So much of me wanted to tell Dean how I felt, how I'd always felt. Part of me thought he knew, but it was so much easier to assume he had no idea. Because if he knew that would mean he'd done nothing about it, and that he most likely didn't feel the same way anymore. Over the last two years I'd seen him walk out of bars with so many women it made my head spin. I kept my jealousy to myself, got drunk, and went back to the motel empty-handed and wallowing in misery.

I didn't often like to think about how much I had lost. Especially when it came to relationships. I'd been with my fair share of guys, and I had been used nearly every time. Lied to, tossed aside, I was just a means to an end to them apparently. And for a while after my last boyfriend I convinced myself I was okay with being alone. That it was better that way. That I didn't need anybody. Besides, it'd been hard keeping up a relationship when I was on the road with my sister most of the time.

But the second I saw Dean again I knew I'd been lying to myself. The boys had shown me how much I'd been missing, and to be honest, I couldn't be happier when I was with them. I would just have to focus on that for now.

As if the Impala could read my mind, the song switched again. I smiled when I recognized the track. "If you wake up and don't want to smile, if it takes just a little while. Open your eyes and look at the day, you'll see things in a different way. Don't stop, thinking about tomorrow. Don't stop, it'll soon be here. It'll be here, better than before, yesterday's gone. Yesterday's gone."

"Didn't know you could sing like that Kat," Dean suddenly said, calling me out of my trance. I looked over at him, blush flushing my cheeks.

"It's just a habit," I said. He shook his head at me, rolling his eyes and looked back at the road. I pretended not to notice as his hand slipped down to the volume dial and turned it up, essentially turning up my voice. I finished the song and made a decision, however cryptic it was. I grabbed the tape's case and searched for one of my favorite songs. Once I'd found it I clicked the seeking switch a few times and turned the volume up a bit more.

"Can you hear me calling, out your name? You know that I'm falling and I don't know what to say. I'll speak a little louder, I'll even shout. You know that I'm proud and I can't get the words out. Oh I... I... I wanna be with you everywhere. Oh I... I... I wanna be with you everywhere. Somethin's happenin', happenin' to me. My friends say I'm acting peculiarly. C'mon baby, we better make a start. You better make it soon before you break my heart. Oh I... I... I wanna be with you everywhere. Oh I... I... I wanna be with you everywhere."

I sang as loud as I could, my eyes squeezed shut half the time, losing myself in the music. The song faded out and then switched to another, upbeat tune and I smiled, looking over at Dean. He had a huge grin plastered on his face and his fingers were tapping to the beat against the Impala's steering wheel. I grinned back and started belting out the new lyrics.

"If I could turn the page, in time then I'd rearrange just a day or two. Close my, close my, close my eyes. But I couldn't find a way, so I'll settle for one day to believe in you. Tell me, tell me, tell me lies, tell me lies. Tell me sweet little lies. Tell me, tell me, tell me lies. Oh no, no you can't disguise, you can't disguise, no you can't disguise. Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies." I paused, looking over at Dean. Surprisingly enough he was singing along with me, grin still plastered on his face. "Although I'm not making plans, I hope that you understand there's a reason why. Close your, close your, close your eyes. No more broken hearts, we're better off apart let's give it a try. Tell me, tell me, tell me lies. Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies. Tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies. Oh no, no you can't disguise, you can't disguise, no you can't disguise. Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies. If I could turn the page, in time then I'd rearrange just a day or two. Close my, close my eyes. But I couldn't find a way, so I'll settle for on day to believe in you. Tell me, tell me, tell me lies. Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies..."

The song ended with a repeat of the chorus and I turned the volume down, letting it fade out. Dean looked over at me, both of us still smiling and then he sharply averted his gaze. The car jerked and he said, "Hang on, we're gonna do something."

"Dean, what-" I began, looking around as he pulled onto an off-road.

"Just trust me," he said, glancing back as a smirk played on his lips.

My heart started to flutter. I wondered if my subliminal, lyric messages were actually getting to him or not. He drove for another five minutes or so until we were surrounded by nothing but scenery. The highway was far behind us, and it was just the raw, Nevada desert. Dean parked the car, leaving the keys in the ignition and got out, heading over to the trunk. The music was still playing, and I elected to leave it on as I got out and followed him around the car.

"Dean, what are we doing here?" I asked.

"Just trust me," he repeated, smiling. He heaved the cooler out of the trunk and brought it around, setting it next to the driver's side front wheel of the Impala. He opened it up and cracked open two beers, handing me one. I could feel my messy, fiery scarlet hair flutter in the breeze as I tipped my head back, some of the beer spilling down my throat. Dean set his bottle on top of the now closed cooler and held out a hand to me.

"C'mon," he said.

I cocked an eyebrow in question but I just took his hand, letting him lead me. It wasn't a long walk, he just led me to the front of the Impala. But for those few seconds, with his hand in mine, I could feel my heart racing. I knew getting my hopes up was ridiculous, Dean didn't feel that way about me. We'd had a relationship in the past, like a million years ago, that was all. We were just friends now. But despite that I could feel the excitement growing in my stomach.

His hand left mine and then both of them found my waist, lifting me up onto the hood of the car. I let out a small noise of surprise and Dean chuckled, setting me down. I scooted back on top of the car, watching him. He walked back to the open window of the driver's seat and reached in, the music getting louder. As he walked back to join me he grabbed his beer. Dean jumped up on top of the hood with ease and settled down next to me, our legs pressed next to each other.

"Dean, what are we doing here?" I repeated, hoping he'd answer me this time.

"Just look at that," he said, pointing out in front of us.

I turned my gaze toward the direction he was pointing and let out a small gasp of surprise. It was the sunset. An ocean of pinks, purples, oranges and reds were painted in the sky. The vast expanse above us and in the distance seemed to be alive, swirling with some of the most breathtaking colors I'd ever seen. The sun was more than halfway dipped below the horizon and it was steadily getting darker. We both watched it in silence, sipping beer and just breathing in the clean air around us.

The sun fell beneath the horizon and the light quickly started to fade. I turned to Dean. "That was..."

He nodded. "I know. I never get tired of that, no matter how many times I've watched it."

I smiled a little, pressing the mouth of my beer bottle to my lips. "It's beautiful."

"It's not the only thing that's beautiful out here."

I nearly spat out my beer. His eyes were on me, his bottle empty and forgotten. He was looking at me in a way I hadn't seen in years. It felt more like an eternity, but it was a look I recognized well. He usually pulled it out when he was trying to get some woman to leave a bar with him, not that it ever took much effort. I leaned forward and let my empty bottle settle itself into the dirt, not breaking his gaze.

"Dean..." I trailed off, wondering if I should even ask what this was.

"I know, it's the most cliché thing anybody could say," he laughed, his eyes glancing down to his lap. "But..."

I waited and he kept quiet, fumbling with his fingers in his lap. It was a side of him I'd had yet to see. I knew he wasn't good with a lot of the emotional side of things, so I waited some more, my heart hammering away against my ribs. The music softly drifted out of the car behind us and I listened to the lyrics.

"For you, there'll be no more crying. For you, the sun will be shining. And I feel that when I'm with you, it's all right. I know it's right. To you, I'll give the world. To you, I'll never be cold. 'Cause I feel that when I'm with you, it's all right. I know it's right. And the songbirds are singing, like they know the score. And I love you, I love you, I love you... like never before. And I wish you all the love in the world, but most of all. I wish it from myself..."

"Katheryn." Dean's voice startled me, especially with his use of my full first name. I looked back at him, his mossy green eyes sparkling in the fading light of the sun. "I..."

"What?" I prompted in a whisper.

"I'm sorry."

This took me aback. I gave him a confused look and he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What could you have to be sorry for Dean?"

"For you. For this. It's just..." He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated that he couldn't find the right words. "It's taken me way to fucking long to get my act together with you."

"What do you mean?"

"I know you've not had good luck with men, and I know that's probably my fault, considering. I didn't... I couldn't see you get hurt again. Especially if it was by me, so..." He looked down at his lap again, fiddling with something. "I fucked up and I'm sorry."

I shook my head at him, unable to believe what he was saying and still sort of confused by what he meant. "You didn't fuck up Dean. You have nothing to be sorry for. It's my own damn fault those guys used me, and you shouldn't feel obligated to make up for their mistakes. And it's not your fault I didn't have good luck with any of them. You don't owe me anything, Dean I-"

In a rush he was so close to me I almost backed away. His hand was hot against my cheek, his stubble rough on the side of my face. He hovered over my lips for a brief moment before pressing his onto them, slowly deepening the kiss, as if I were a fragile little teacup.

I was stunned and frozen for a moment before I began kissing him back, both of my hands finding his face. My eyes slid shut and I kissed him, I kissed him letting out all of my bottled up longing for this at the same time. It was better than I remembered it. I was vaguely aware of his other hand wrapping around my waist as he adjusted. I let my hands tease back through his hair and wrap around his neck. His hand pressed into my side, pulling me closer to him and I smiled into the kiss. He smiled back and we broke apart, a little out of breath.

He let out a small laugh. "I did fuck up, okay? I should've done that ages ago. It's not your fault those guys used you okay? And this isn't me fulfilling some debt I owe you for their screw ups either. This is me. It's just me, okay? I want this again and it's not coming from anywhere else."

I smiled at him, my eyes boring into his. I blinked back the tears threatening to spill over and spoke. "Dean... I... How can I..." I trailed off, searching for the words. "What in the hell brought this on?"

He laughed, clearly expecting a different question. "You did you moron." He stopped to laugh again. "The singing, the sunset, just you and me in the Impala... I don't know." He rubbed his thumb against my cheek. "It's been a long time coming, okay?"

I just nodded a little, understanding the double meaning in his words, and connected my lips with his again. Kissing Dean was something different, something far removed from when we'd been together before, that was for sure. This wasn't like any other kiss we'd shared years ago. Maybe it was just because he knew what he was doing, because he knew me so much better now. But we moved together, reciprocating each others' movements and eventually lying back against the windshield. He settled his leg over mine and I tangled one with his. His breath was hot against my skin, causing goose bumps to rise on the back of my neck every time we pulled back a moment. This all felt too surreal, being here with him like this. The air slowly started to cool and the music humming out of the car couldn't have been more perfect.

"Sweet, wonderful you. You make me happy with the things you do. Oh, can it be so. This feeling follows me wherever I go. I never did believe in miracles, but I've a feeling it's time to try. I never did believe in the ways of magic, but I'm beginning to wonder why. Don't break the spell, it would be different and you know it will. You, you make loving fun. And I don't have to tell you but you're the only one. You make loving fun..."

I focused on him, the lyrics lazily registering in my brain. He was the only one who could make me feel like this. And for good reason. I'd fallen for so many things about him. His love of classic rock, his ability to lead, to listen. His smiles, his tears, his love for children. His weaknesses, his strengths, and all the good and bad that came along with him being himself. There were just so many things about him, and they were all things I loved. All things I'd held onto since we were teenagers.

My stomach twisted and we broke apart for a minute to catch a breath.

"Dean..." I breathed, propping myself up a little to look at him.

"Wow..." he sighed, his eyes looking to me and then at the sky behind me. I turned and studied the star-sprinkled sky. Tiny, white pinpricks of light scattered the navy blue sky, wispy gray clouds drifting. His hand turned my face back toward him. "What is it Kat?"

I smiled, averting my gaze. "Dean, I..." My lips pressed into a hard line and I swallowed back my fear. "Can I say something?"

He nodded, sitting up to listen to me.

"I've been searching for a way to tell you. I've wanted to say it for a long time, but I didn't know until now. Whenever I'm with you, I feel okay again. I feel safe. And it's you that does that for me. I cannot express in words how much that means to me. And you... you're just so amazing. I know you don't see it, but every little thing about you... it's what's made me fall in love with you." I paused, looking back up at him. "I'm in love with you Dean."

Almost at an instant he kissed me again. It was full of passion, excitement, and a bit of desperation. I kissed back, knowing this was his answer to me. He didn't need to speak to tell me that he loved me back, that he'd been waiting for me to say that to him. That he'd been waiting to hear those words spill from my lips again. He'd been able to tell me all of it through that kiss. But when he pulled back, his breath tickling my lips, he hummed back anyway.

"I love you too."